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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · rule · bore · lash · tear · season · can · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — government
  3. rest — a break
  4. bore — to drill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rule — a law
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. can — a tin
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. season — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — to tire
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — from crying
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com